Drift & Anisotropy Parameters in Sporadic-E & Normal-E Layers

Abstract

Measurements of drift motions in the ionosphere have been made at Waltair at the E-region level using the spaced receiver technique for the sporadic-E and normal-E layers. The records from this experiment were analyzed by the correlation method. The drift directions and speeds were obtained as well as the characteristic velocities, the orientations of the correlation ellipses, their ellipticities and sizes. The results indicate the drift to be towards north-east for sporadic-E and to the south-west for normal-E during daytime. At night, the drifts for both the layers have the same trend of variation. A comparative study of the drift parameters for these two layers revealed them to be greater for sporadic-E. An attempt has been made to explain these results.